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The Push
The Push | Ashley Audrain
237 posts | 258 read | 3 reading | 94 to read
What if your experience of motherhood was nothing like what you hoped for - but everything you always feared? 'The women in this family, we're different . . .' The arrival of baby Violet was meant to be the happiest day of my life. It was meant to be a fresh start. But as soon as I held her in my arms I knew something wasn't right. I have always known that the women in my family aren't meant to be mothers. My husband Fox says I'm imagining it. He tells me I'm nothing like my own mother, and that Violet is the sweetest child. But she's different with me. Something feels very wrong. Is it her? Or is it me? Is she the monster? Or am I? The Push is a heart-pounding exploration of motherhood, obsession and the terrible price of unconditional love.
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review
Lauranahe
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this fast read. It reminded me a lot of We Need to Talk About Kevin, but like the YA version of that, mixed with some The Bad Seed vibes. With chapters only around 2-4 pages each, it‘s easy to do the “just one more chapter!” thing.

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kchuebner
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

This book hit me in all the maternal feels, like Ashley Audrain removed the veil of motherhood and the relationships with moms and their first borns, partner and subsequent children. While a psych thriller, what won me was the emotional changes mothers feel and Blythe‘s understanding of where she came from. I love the closing quotes “I am capable of moving beyond my mistakes" "I am capable to heal from the hurt and pain I have caused"

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Michael_Gee
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

A simple, satisfying domestic horror novel. Blythe‘s affluent life is socially limited before she has a baby, and afterwards she only becomes more isolated. There seems to be an intractable animosity between herself and her newborn, and this was my favorite part of the novel, the sheer claustrophobic horror of that dynamic.

monkeygirlsmama Your candleholders are truly horrifying! LoL 1mo
25 likes1 comment
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HeatherBookNerd
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

A satisfyingly creepy psychological thriller. Once I got going I couldn‘t put it down. Is Blythe too damaged by her own childhood to be a good mother? Is her daughter Violet like other children? A twisted story of parent and child, and a reflection on how much emotional baggage a person brings into parenthood.

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Rebesta
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

If I could triple pick this, I would. The Push is a chilling tale about the darker sides of motherhood told by a third generation child of two unnatural mothers through a letter she writes to her husband. It is heartbreaking. I couldn‘t put it down. I wish I could say more, but it would spoil the best parts of the plot. You must read it!

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MahsaNjm
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Panpan

Awful 🫢

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marleed
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

The writing is so good here and the subject matter so uncomfortable that I had to walk away from the actual story and read some reviews. It helped when I stopped reading this as contemporary fiction and read it as a creepy thriller. Kudos to the author for making me flip-flop opinions about the adults in the room. I can‘t wait for later this week and my IRL bookclub discussion about this one!

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jdiehr
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

I like my purple color scheme today as I recover from my gallbladder surgery 💜

This is a disturbing story about a woman named Blythe who has a daughter that she can't relate to, trust, or even love.

How much of child rearing is nature vs. nurture? How much do our own childhoods affect how we raise our kids?

This was a page-turner with short chapters (I love short chapters!)

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Love the purple 💜 I hope you get well soon!! 9mo
TheBookgeekFrau Wishing you a speedy recovery!! 💜 9mo
Megabooks Hope you have a smooth recovery! 💜 9mo
See All 9 Comments
Ruthiella Love the color coordination! Hope you are up and back to normal soon! 💜 9mo
UwannaPublishme Great color! Keep feeling better and get well soon! 9mo
Slajaunie LSU purple! I hope you feel better quickly. Enjoy your downtime. 📚 9mo
dabbe Purple suits you! Hope you're healing well! 💜💜💜 9mo
bthegood wishing you a speedy recovery - 9mo
Mimi28 I had my gallbladder out about five years ago. I love purple too! Take care!! 9mo
42 likes1 stack add9 comments
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jamield1911
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

Woah, that was outstanding! ?

Audrain explores "nature vs. nurture" perfectly. She has written a strong, gritty, and brave debut here. The short chapters are rough, and I found myself wincing in parts. As a mother, I struggled with adapting after birth and beyond (thanks, Covid). I wondered what I was doing wrong. Luckily, I overcame this, but it's horrifying to think some mothers don't.
A mix of "We Need to Talk About Kevin" & "Verity". 5⭐️

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Nalbuque
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

Worth it, in my opinion, bc it‘s a short read and the ending will def make you feel something strong. But this was a STRUGGLE. My own family/childhood trauma made this (particularly the first 2/3) a difficult read. I almost selected so-so but here we are.

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she.hearts.horror
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Bailedbailed

😠. No

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shellleigh33
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Can‘t wait to start this round with everyone. Here are my selections for #LMPBC #round17. Let me know what sounds good. I have plenty more to choose from if these do not work.

See All 8 Comments
smalldogs_bigbooks2419 Lessons in Chemistry!! 😍 13mo
lynneamch Any of these are ok with me. Dark Matter is the least interesting to me, but it can be fun to read something I normally wouldn't. 13mo
BookishPiper I vote Lessons in Chemistry. 13mo
smalldogs_bigbooks2419 Yay!! Now I can remove it from my Libby holds. I‘ve read the first few chapters that way, but not waiting quite so long to be able to rent the rest of the book sounds great. 13mo
16 likes8 comments
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Bzosche
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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“A mother‘s heart breaks a million ways in her lifetime”

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reading_rainbow
The Push | Ashley Audrain
Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was really addictive but it had one of my very few triggers and it bummed me out and me sort of sick. I finished it tho because I wanted to know what happened and was kind of disappointed.

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IndianBookworm
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

For a debut novel, it's really good. An intergenerational family trauma, miscommunications, weird mother-daughter relationship and a bunch of trigger warnings. A definite page turner, gave me 'Baby teeth' vibes too. The flashbacks took a lil while to get used to, also the insufferable husband who just wouldn't listen. I felt pity for Blythe who was in the middle of it all. Also, I wanted little more from the ending. Must read.
4/5🌟

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Eggs
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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This psychological thriller had a #Surprise factor!!! A compelling read!
#JanuaryJazz @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

ChelseaM6010 Sounds like a great book! 1y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I threw it in the floor at the end!!! 🤣🤣 1y
Eggs Because you liked it? Or hated it? @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 1y
Eggs @ChelseaM6010 It may not be for everyone but I found it unputdownable 1y
71 likes4 comments
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Andrea4
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

(enjoy this photo of a dog who didn't care that laundry fell on top of him)
It took me 20-30 min of audio to get into this. I almost gave up. I think b/c of shifting perspectives and times but after the beginning it became clearer and pulled me in.
Definitely worth it.
I don't know about others but that ending did not surprise me.

IndianBookworm Even I want surprised with the ending. Nonetheless, the book was great! 11mo
23 likes1 comment
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TheLibrarian
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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This is going to have some mixed reviews but I loved it. Deeply unsettling and that ending! 😱 Can‘t wait to see what other works the author comes out with.

AmyG I liked this one, too. I love a good “bad seed” story. 1y
72 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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hdhubbard
The Push | Ashley Audrain
Pickpick

9/10

The story immediately pulls you into a page turner with an eerie feeling of something is wrong, but no immediately clear reason why. The making and breaking of a family, a broken woman whose experience of motherhood is everything she feared. Disturbing and couldn't put it down

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britt_brooke
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The first time I read this, I was super annoyed by the narrative style. This go - a #reread for #bookclub - the style clicked and totally worked. Second person narrative can grow tiresome quickly, but Audrain utilizes it well as Blythe addresses Fox for the duration of this disturbing story. Unhinged mom? Deranged kid? Can‘t wait to discuss with my ladies!

78 likes1 comment
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CarolynM
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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#12Booksof2022. #January

My pick for January is this story of an atypical mother/child relationship which I read as part of my #NewYearWhoDis pairing with @AmyG

Andrew65 Sounds a good read. 1y
AmyG I am glad you enjoyed it, too! 1y
TheBookHippie Oh this is a powerful read. 1y
58 likes3 comments
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TorieStorieS
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

Whoah- there‘s a lot tightly packed into this relatively slim novel! Blythe‘s family has a history of bad mothers- and though Blythe is determined to break the cycle with Violet, all may not be right with her daughter… or is Blythe the unreliable narrator of this second-person perspective tale? Gripping, emotionally draining and also tense, I couldn‘t put this one down even though my to-do list is beckoning! #BOTM

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Great review 🖤 I enjoyed this one too! 1y
TorieStorieS @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thanks!! That ending!! I‘m sure this would be a great one for a book club to discuss!! 1y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @TorieStorieS yes!! I literally threw the book in the floor at the ending!! 😱😱 1y
TorieStorieS @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Hah!! That is quite the visceral reaction! I just wish there was a little more to the story than that last line!! 😬 1y
57 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Nessavamusic
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

Listened to this entire book today while doing a puzzle and chores. Utterly devastating look at a mother who does not connect to her daughter and is unsure why. I‘m not a parent and this was tough to listen too, beware of triggers if you have children or lost a child. Very well written though. 4⭐️
#bookspinbingo

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ShaniaAJ
The Push | Ashley Audrain
Pickpick

I LOVED this book, although the end was definitely not my favorite. #VioletIrkedMySoul

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MartinaLove
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Currently reading. 🎃

#TeamSlaughter
@Clwojick

18 likes1 stack add
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ashleyn
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

Couldn't put it down. I loved how the writing style matched, what seemed to be, how Blythe's mind worked. The development of characters caused me to have such strong feelings towards each of them. I would love to see a sequel.

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ChaoticMissAdventures
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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#alphabetgame #letterP @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Children creep me out a bit in general so I was very disturbed by this read!

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks This was disturbing, but I liked it! I threw it in the floor after the last page!! 😵😫 2y
ChaoticMissAdventures @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I love a book that causes an actual physical reaction!! 2y
28 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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This was a creepy, disturbing book, but I loved it!! I threw it in the floor when I finished!! The ending 😱

Which book do you recommend beginning with p?

#AlphabetGame
#Letterp

Everyone is tagged!!

KT1432 I loved this one too! 2y
PageShifter This sounds so so interesting!! 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @PageShifter it was really dark, but really good! 2y
PageShifter Sounds like perfection 😎 2y
52 likes1 stack add5 comments
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NikkiCureton
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

I‘m so behind with this one, but wow what a wild trip start to finish!

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BeeMagical
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

Book 125🎧 3⭐️

Reminiscent of Baby Teeth 🦷 but a tad more “serious” and a tad less “comical?” Not sure if that the right term for Baby Teeth😂

A more serious telling of a mother not connecting with her daughter and the history & events that plague them.

*I now LOVE the name Blythe… added to future baby name list✅

Eggs This was engaging and chilling 2y
BeeMagical @eggs - that final line got me!😬 2y
Eggs Oh yesssss😳😨 @BeeMagical 2y
40 likes3 comments
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emilycoc
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

How many months did it take me to start this? Too many. How many days did it take me to read it? Two. Couldn't put it down unless I had to.

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akfreeborn
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

I did not realize how similar in theme this book was to Babyteeth, a book I loved. This one was quite good as well— the whole nature/nurture together with a possible unreliable narrator makes you start second guessing everything. I think most of the voice worked but I‘m not sure the family history worked for me. Good treatment of these topics- if you like this definitely read Babyteeth-it does better with the child behavior reasons.

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Evita
The Push | Ashley Audrain
Pickpick

4 out of 5

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iamcourtneyb
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Hurry up & close school so I can get my summer reading started! #6thgradersinterruptingmyreadingtime

marleed Oh you have some great reading ahead! 2y
4 likes1 comment
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emilycoc
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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This is as good of a next choice as any! I think I bought this on Amazon a while back. Not sure what drew me to it, so we will find out! #tbr #whatirread #bookthreeof2022

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MMFinck
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

Insanely disturbing. So good!

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LikelyLibrarian
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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There‘s so much going on here. The pressure society puts on women to procreate, to be naturally nurturing. The gender dynamics of parenting. The way children change a marriage. The way our children can change us. Tragedy and fear.

I listened to the audio version voiced by Marin Ireland. Book and narrator are amazing, and I kept finding new chores to do, so I could keep listening. Finished in two days. Wow. Just wow.

CarolynM Great review. It surprises me how many reviews I have seen that pin the blame on the mother. I thought Dad had a lot to answer for. 2y
LikelyLibrarian @CarolynM I agree. He refused to believe a child of his might have a problem. 2y
15 likes2 comments
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crazyspine
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

I cried a lot. Difficult to read as a mother, but at the same time I couldn't stop. I read it in a weekend.

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AbstractMonica
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

One of the best books I‘ve ever read. In this novel, generational trauma meets motherhood. There‘s a lyrical yet sinister feeling throughout the entire story. I found myself having to process every chapter because the topics were so heavy and devastating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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AbstractMonica
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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I‘ve had this one on my TBR pile for a while. Perfect time to start it up 👍🏽

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Smartypants
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

It took me a while to get through this one; I‘ve been in a bit of a reading slump. I pushed through and finished this today. Highly recommend for a good psychological read.

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Cathyloves2read
The Push | Ashley Audrain
Pickpick

This book started out good, and ended even better. I found it very suspenseful, and couldn‘t wait to see how it ended. I did the audio version, and absolutely love the narrator-Marin Ireland. I feel that the author intended for none of the characters to be very likable. The female characters were very intense. It seems that I‘m let down by so many books at the end. Not take one! This is one that I recommend.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I enjoyed this one too and the ending 😳 2y
14 likes1 comment
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LadyCait84
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

My book club discussion of this tense thriller focused on the ambiguities of what transpired throughout the novel as well as the certainties of the damage caused by societal pressures and intergenerational trauma. Definitely not an easy read (one of the moms in our club had to tap out; anyone with child or motherhood related triggers should approach with caution) but one that leaves you with plenty to contemplate.

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Curvybookgirl
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

This book is an incredible debut novel. I couldn‘t put it down. It cleverly draws you in with short chapters and strong characters. Incredibly well written. A must read

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Kboltz
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Wow!!! Did not know the premise of the book and I am glad I didn‘t. Just wow…what a read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Waited for it in paperback and it was worth the wait.

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APLitlife
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Pickpick

It was a slow start, but picked up quickly.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Agreed! I threw it in the floor when I finished 🤣🤣 2y
24 likes1 comment
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LostInSpace
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Mehso-so

I found this really uncomfortable reading but I couldn‘t put it down.

What a messed up story.

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Tamra
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Mehso-so

I always feel like I need a shower after reading novels like this one, a la Gone Girl. It was compulsive, but predictable. It would have been more impactful had it been edited down to a novella or short story.

Cathythoughts Interesting.. I‘ll give it a miss I think 👍🏻 2y
Tamra @Cathythoughts I think it affirms the very real attachment issues that can occur, but it felt thrillerist/sensationalized. (Is thrillerist a word I just made up? Ha! 😜) 2y
66 likes2 comments
blurb
HeathHof
The Push | Ashley Audrain
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Look what I found in my mailbox! 💌
Thank you, Misty & Leigh. This was a very sweet surprise 💗
#litsylove
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Professional_Book_Dragon

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks You‘re very welcome ❤️❤️❤️ 2y
58 likes1 comment